The Fling That Changed Everything. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ snorted. ‘You’ve changed, Ana. You used to show a bit more respect.’

      The grin widened. ‘Maybe it’s because I’m a happily married woman now.’

      He had to smile back. ‘You are. And it’s great. I’m really happy for you, even if you didn’t invite me to the wedding.’

      ‘Like you would have dropped everything and come all the way to London for a few days. It was hard enough persuading my mother to be there. And you’ll get your wedding fix soon enough.’

      ‘True. Is it next week that Caroline and Keanu are tying the knot?’

      ‘The week after. Oh...who’s this coming in with Jack?’

      Sam turned his head. Sure enough, there were two people entering the wide walkway that linked the three wings of Wildfire hospital around its lush tropical garden. Something in the garden had clearly attracted Lia’s attention and they had paused as she’d pointed. Maybe she’d spotted an exotic bird near the pond in the garden’s centre. Sam found himself checking that the lapels on his white coat were sitting flat. Not that he was about to tell Ana but there was a reason he’d wanted to look particularly professional today.

      ‘That’s the new FIFO paramedic. She came in yesterday with the new nurse. Have you met Matt yet?’

      ‘Of course. He’s giving Rangi his bath.’ Her lips twitched. ‘It may take a while. There’s a lot to wash.’

      ‘We’ve got to try and get his weight down. The diabetes and skin sores are only going to be the start of his health issues.’

      ‘Mmm. I have to say it’s going to be a treat to have a male nurse on board for a while. Matt didn’t even need the winch to get Rangi out of bed.’ But Ana’s interest was elsewhere for the moment. ‘Has our new paramedic got a name?’

      ‘Lia...something. Sounded Italian.’

      ‘She looks Italian. And...gorgeous...’

      It was Sam’s turn to make a sound of feigned interest but he had to turn his head again. Jack and Lia were much closer now and it was no wonder Ana was impressed.

      The short shorts and wild hair he remembered from the airstrip yesterday were gone. Lia was wearing long, dark cargo pants and the black T-shirt with the red emblem of Wildfire’s rescue service. Her hair sat smoothly against her head with a complicated braid arrangement that went from her forehead on both sides to merge into a thick rope at the back.

      She looked...professional.

      ‘Hey, Ana. This is Lia, my new crewmate. Lia, this is Anahera Kopu, one of our permanent nurses.’

      ‘It’s Wilson now, Jack. I got married, remember?’ Ana held out her hand to shake Lia’s. ‘You’ve got to show me how to do my hair like that. It’s amazing.’

      ‘It’s dead easy. And...um...congratulations? I’m guessing your wedding was recent?’

      ‘A couple of months ago. I just got back from London. And a honeymoon in Paris.’

      ‘Wow... Two places I’d love to visit.’

      ‘You haven’t been yet?’

      ‘Travelling’s never been in my budget.’ But Lia was smiling. ‘That’s why it’s so exciting to be here.’

      Because it was a new country or because it was adding to the reserves in her budget? The knot of tension in Sam’s gut was as unfamiliar as the starched fabric of the coat sleeves on his bare arms. He started rolling the sleeves up a bit.

      ‘We’ve got an outpatient clinic to get started, Ana.’ He nodded at Lia. ‘Has Jack got you settled in all right? Happy with your accommodation?’

      ‘It’s fantastic. I love it. I woke up this morning and looked out at the view of the sea and all those islands and couldn’t believe how beautiful it all is.’

      It wasn’t just her eyes that shone with pleasure—her whole face seemed to light up. It was impossible not to smile back.

      ‘Looks better on a nice day.’ He turned to Jack. ‘Are you up with the forecast? How’s that cyclone tracking?’

      ‘Bit too close for comfort, this one. We could be in for a rough few days.’

      ‘I’d better check the stocks in Emergency,’ Ana said. ‘We always get a rush on dressings and sutures and things in a cyclone. It’s amazing the debris that people can get hit with.’

      ‘Hettie might be able to do that when it’s quiet later. She’s on the afternoon shift, isn’t she?’

      Ana nodded. ‘I’ll see how many people we’ve got in the waiting room for the clinic, then.’

      ‘I’d love to have a look around your emergency department,’ Lia said. ‘If that’s okay?’

      In the tiny silence that followed her query Sam realised that the question had been directed at him. If he was honest, though, he’d known that already. He could feel Lia’s gaze on his skin.

      ‘Sure.’ He met her gaze long enough to be polite. ‘Jack knows his way around. Feel free to explore the whole—’ The sound of his telephone ringing stopped his invitation. He delved into his pocket to extract the phone from the tangle of his stethoscope and that was irritating enough to make him loop the stethoscope around his neck with one hand as he answered the call with the other.

      He’d been expecting this. ‘Yes, it’s all sorted, Pita.’ He stepped away from the others and lowered his voice. ‘I’m tied up in a clinic this morning but I’ll leave it beside the radio in the staffroom. White envelope with your name on it.’

      He heard a burst of laughter behind him but he kept moving as he ended his call. He had work to do and he knew the waiting room would be filling up fast. He didn’t have time for any social chitchat. His visit to the staffroom would not even include stopping to make a coffee.

      Not that being busy was enough to explain the odd tension he was aware of. Maybe that had more to do with the fact that he could still feel Lia watching him as he walked away.

      Déjà vu.

      Lia watched Sam walking away. Maybe she would have to get used to feeling like she wasn’t overly welcome here.

      She certainly needed to get over letting it get to her. She pasted a smile on her face as she turned back to Jack and Ana, but they were looking at each other.

      ‘What’s with the white coat? Has Sam been down in the lab already this morning or something?’

      Ana shook her head. ‘Not that I know of.’ She grinned at Jack. ‘He said that he just wanted to look professional.’

      Lia caught her bottom lip with her teeth to stop her saying anything. Like confessing that she had started the day in exactly the same way. The French braiding of her hair hadn’t been nearly as easy as she’d implied to Ana. It СКАЧАТЬ